Earlier, much earlier, we had reported that the Harry Potter invisibility cloak concept was being studied for research purposes and that there were a couple of things they developed which brought them closer to their goal.
So just a 100 days before Christmas, we bring you good news that the researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have actually managed to create a thin, 80 nanometre skin cloak with the ability to make small things disappear.
It is said, that the cloak is made up of “gold brick-like nanoantennas” which redirect light waves from the object thereby making it invisible. What’s new about this cloak is that, as compared to the previously made bulky invisibility cloaks this one is ultra thin, and even though it is a 2D cloak, it is said to be able to cover 3D objects too.
The basic idea that helped with this development is the fact that they wanted to make the surface of the cloak in a way that the light hitting it “would be the same as that of light reflected from a flat mirror.”
“As long as the metasurface is designed correctly,” the study says, “both the container and the objects inside the container will become invisible.”
Oh well, there’s very little left for ones imagination these days.Will science destroy the entire idea of mystery soon? With the way things are advancing, no one will be able to read a book and get lost in another world.
So, here’s to hoping that the next gen also has their share of C.S Lewis and JK Rowling.
The curiosity that human beings have had towards the supernatural has always been very apparent. And with pop culture encouraging our intrigue with superhero, sci-fi and fantasy movies, this curiosity turns into obsession to actually create these devices. For example, in a speech by President Barack Obama, on the development of a classified project he famously remarked “We’re building Iron Man”. Even the American military can’t get enough of the superhuman world.
Why though? Is it because human beings inherently have a characteristic to never be satisfied with what they have? Suddenly, a pair of hands and feet don’t seem good enough. Therefore, the need to build something that is bigger and better than us crops up. Things that can do everything we cannot, so that they can protect us.
The newest announcement, stemming out of this thought process perhaps, is the need to build and create invisibility cloaks (just like the one in Harry Potter) and invisible military vehicles. The American Chemical Society has released an episode of a series called Reactions in collaboration with ACS Photonics, that speaks about how we can actually create such a device or wearable. They speak about how the idea of invisibility or camouflaging actually exists all around us, with the aircraft that can disappear from radar imaging systems, and animals like cephalopods and chameleons that can camouflage themselves by mimicking light.
The video is said to have been revealed to celebrate the International Year of Light by exploring the science behind light, sight and invisibility. The technology behind this is being referred to as, cloaking technology and the video shows how many scientists and researchers have actually made discoveries towards this possibility. At Duke University, methods of making light avoid an object by using meta-materials and engineered materials to craft things such as powerful antennas and invisibility cloaks have been undertaken.
Harry Potter trying out the invisibility cloak for the first time.
In fact, researchers from Europe have already created a three-dimensional cloak that can hide objects by bending light waves. And as reported, researchers from the German Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Imperial College of London used the cloak that was made using photonic crystals, with a structure resembling piles of wood, to conceal a small bump on a gold surface.
These are merely advances towards cloak technology, but companies such as BAE Systems are working on projects to give military vehicles the option of invisibility. Researchers in various institutions have already began experimenting the uses of meta-materials to make small objects disappear.
So, is this the future? Has the human race become so paranoid so as to take a cue from Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak? Are we now incapable of facing the damage that we ourselves have created? Either way, mischief managed!
Source:[tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2015/july/are-invisibility-cloaks-possible-video.html”] American Chemical Society[/tw-button]
